Welcome to the Ride AI Newsletter, your weekly digest of important events and new developments at the intersection of technology and transportation.

Here’s What You Need to Know Today

It’s been a tough week for Waymo after one of their autonomous taxis struck a cyclist in San Francisco. Fortunately, Waymo handled the incident appropriately by notifying police and city authorities immediately, although video has not yet been released to the public so we don’t know which party was at fault.

Making matters worse, an angry mob in SF vandalized and set fire to one of Waymo’s vehicles during Chinese New Year celebrations in Chinatown. This incident appears unrelated to the cycling collision story; fireworks were set off in the street which confused the robotaxi and caused it to come to a complete stop in the roadway, which enraged some tech-averse bystanders.

In more positive AV news, Croatian startup Project 3 Mobility has raised €100M in a Series A funding round. P3 also received a grant of €179.5M from the European Commission in 2023, and plans to launch AV taxis and a ride-hailing app in Zagreb in 2026.

BYD, which de-throned Tesla as the top global manufacturer of EVs, is leveraging AI for its new smart car system, improving safety and adding self-driving capabilities like automatic parking. BYD is also investing 5B yuan ($702M USD) in multiple all-terrain test drive sites.

Starship Technologies, a pioneer in autonomous delivery tech, has raised $90M in funding to scale up operations to meet market demand. The Estonian company’s robots have made over 6 million deliveries with over 11 million miles traveled.

Could battery swapping technology come to cars? Battery swap stations have proven highly effective for electric two-wheelers, eliminating charging times and congested charging stations. Cars pose unique challenges due to the massive size of their batteries and a lack of standardization, but Chinese manufacturers Nio and Geely are already making it happen with millions of swap transactions in 2023.

A driver-less train service will soon be launching in Bengaluru, providing fully autonomous operation on the Yellow Line of the city’s Metro. A total of 216 rail coaches have been manufactured by Chinese firm CRRC Nanjing Puzhen, and are expected to be operational in the next 5-6 months.

The US is also considering the use of autonomous trains in Georgia, with the Federal Railroad Administration seeking public comments on a proposed project by Genesee & Wyoming short lines. The company wants to use self-propelled electric freight cars from LA-based startup Parallel Systems.

Volkswagen is seeking investors for its new artificial intelligence lab, founded to generate new product ideas and generate early-stage prototypes. The lab will focus on areas such as optimized charging cycles, predictive maintenance services, and voice recognition.

Digital infrastructure can be a powerful tool to make our roads safer. New radar cameras in California will begin operation on a trial basis, issuing citations for drivers who exceed the speed limit by at least 11 mph (18 kph). A new Chicago program will hand out automated tickets for drivers who illegally park in bus or bike lanes.

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